SENVIC Social Enterprise Leaders Fellowship

Nicole is the CEO of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria and is also the current President of the Australian Neighbourhood House and Centres Association (ANHCA). Nicole holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Victoria University, as well as a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne. She has over ten years experience working in local government, holding senior roles within Community Development, Youth Services, Emergency Management and Governance. She has also held a number of positions within the not-for-profit sector, as well as being the current Chairperson of the Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault.

Deb is a co-founder and the Executive Officer of Food Next Door Co-op, a charity and social enterprise based in Mildura whose purpose is to connect landless farmers from migrant and refugee backgrounds with under-utilised land to grow diverse crops and to build a strong local food system. Deb is interested in participatory research that can help make the world a better place. She has worked extensively in freshwater ecology and co-developed a cultural science program that investigated ways to better manage our land and waters through western scientific methods and indigenous scientific methods working together. Deborah has over 15 years’ experience in community facilitation and activating volunteer organisations and is deeply involved and active in community development and transformational change.

Vicki holds a B.Bus, MBA, GradDip Arts and is a graduate of the AICD. She volunteers with local community groups to help them improve their governance, build business capabilities and deliver strategic community outcomes. Vicki is the Executive Officer of the Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre and President of the CHANH Network. She has 10 years experience on local and national boards and is currently the Ballarat Red Shield Appeal Committee Independent Chair; and a director of the North Ballarat Football Club and Sports Club Boards.

Sam Forbes is the Founder and Principal Facilitator at Elbow Community Building in the Gippsland region of Victoria. Elbow is a social enterprise with the mission to ‘build healthier lives and promote wellbeing through community development’. Elbow works at the grassroots on social policy issues such as social connection and community resilience. Our customers are government, businesses and not-for-profits. Currently Elbow is working on preventing harm from gambling, positive ageing, as well as drought and bushfire recovery. 

Passionate about empowering people and regenerating places through art and activism, Pollyanna has found strength is in linking ideas, connecting people and facilitating community arts to grow in regional areas. In 2017 she founded The Big Picture Space Inc., a not for profit organisation in Gippsland that creates pathways to education and resources for creative beasties. Born in 1989 in rural Victoria, PollyannaR spent the first 15 years of her life illiterate due to her severe dyslexia. At age 16, she started taking photos of all the wonderful, complicated and beautiful world she noticed in everyday life that she could never put a pen to paper to write about. Now she uses any mediums and platforms the work calls for.

Bek’s vision is to grow, nourish and regenerate our earth, its people and communities. She strives to break down barriers and advocate for equity and social justice. Leaning into her humanity, Bek holds energetic, innovative and creative spaces. Through meaningful connections, she empowers others with resourceful generosity and passionate sharing of her story, knowledge and skills. Bek is excited about the emergence of social enterprise and its capacity to deliver glorious transformation and social change.

Brad has a breadth of experience in executive roles, as a specialist project officer, coordinating and leading teams and in general management of diverse and multi-functioned services. Brad is a change facilitator, having worked extensively within not for profit, particularly in the disability and vulnerable youth sectors. He now turns his skillset to My Maintenance Crew, providing real work skills and employment to long term unemployed or at risk of long term unemployment.

Robbie Millar has worked in the for purpose sector for over 18 years and is skilled in leadership, social enterprise, coaching, conflict resolution, public speaking and facilitation. Robbie is strong community and social services professional with Diploma’s in Business Governance, Vocational Education and Training, Training Design and Development and Business Management.

Cameron’s passion is working with change-makers and social entrepreneurs to evaluate and increase the positive environmental and social impact of programs and for-purpose businesses. To achieve this, he convened Social Enterprise Community. Areas of professional interest include social entrepreneurship, impact investing, shared value, collective impact, design thinking, B Corp, Results Based Accountability, data visualisation, systems theory, public policy, public health and community development.

Russell is the Founder and Chair of The Community Grocer, a social enterprise that runs weekly affordable fresh food markets to support healthy connected communities. With a longstanding commitment to food justice and sustainability, Russell was part of the team that developed SecondBite from a good idea to a multimillion-dollar national leader in fresh food rescue, and also established and managed the Food Justice Truck social enterprise, a mobile fresh food market for people seeking asylum in Victoria run by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Alyson is the Manager of the Venus Bay Community Centre, one of 400+ Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria. She represents the South Gippsland district with membership on a number of committees and boards including Neighbourhood Houses Gippsland and Koonwarra Village School and has strong ties with local council and networks across the Gippsland region.